Bonifacio Ríos Ávalos was unanimously elected, with all eight votes from the councillors present, as the new dean of the Law and Social Sciences School of the National University of Asunción (UNA). Fausto Portillo was chosen as vice dean.
The vote took place on September 12, after an attempt to suspend the electoral process once again. The Electoral Justice had ordered the Governing Council to hold the election within 10 days, a deadline that ended that Saturday. Electoral judge Fabiana Marín attended the session.
The election had already been postponed: it was initially scheduled for August 20, and the inauguration was supposed to take place on September 1. The then-dean, Carlos González Morel, was seeking re-election and tried to call off the vote, arguing that a lawsuit had been filed against one of the councillors. However, under the interpretation applied by the Electoral Justice, merely filing the lawsuit did not interrupt the process.
A former minister of the Supreme Court of Justice and a professor at the school for 45 years, Ríos said his administration would seek to strengthen institutional governance and combat clientelist practices. He leads the Docentes por la Excelencia movement and criticized what he described as the academic unit’s transformation into a “jobs agency” for allies, with people lacking the necessary qualifications being appointed.
The remarks target the group associated with lawyer Jorge Bogarín Alfonso, a former member of the Council of the Magistracy. Ríos attributed previous attempts to interfere in the school to that sector and cited allegations, recorded in 2024, that professors had been dismissed and replaced by professionals without the required academic profile. The new dean presented these accusations as part of an internal dispute; they do not, by themselves, constitute a court decision.
The election also follows the release of conversations that appeared to suggest negotiations involving exams and grades. The main person mentioned in the messages is student representative Alejandro “Tratito” Ovelar, son of Colorado Cartista senator Silvio “Trato Apu’a” Ovelar. Ríos denied any connection between his chair and the alleged irregularities and described the released dialogues as a “dirty campaign.” According to him, the preliminary investigation opened during the previous administration should continue to determine any responsibility.
Ríos’s inauguration still depends on a decision by the UNA rectorate. His candidacy was supported by Enrique Berni, a councillor on the Council of the Magistracy and leader of the Renovación Gremial movement. In two months, the body responsible for participating in the selection of judges and prosecutors will also hold elections, in which Berni will seek re-election.